praise, animate and refresh the Christian's soul, and constrain him to pray, Come, Lord Jesus, Come quickly? Or is he not conscious of a most criminal insensibility to the infinite excellence and importance of this divine and glorious Savior? of treating his gracious proposals with indignity and neglect, and of being ashamed of him and his cause, giving him infinite reason complain, Why callest thou me Lord, Lord, and doest not the things which I say? and to reproach him, as Delilah reproached Sampson, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is

to

not with me? And does not a consciousness in his most spiritual and fervent seasons, of a most criminal and inexcusable deficiency in his gratitude, for the agonizing, dying love of Jesus, fill his soul with pain and horror?

If the example of Christ be the standard with which the saint compares his gracious affections, and habitual practice, will his holiness appear more perfect, or his deficiency less criminal. Has he exercised active, diffusive, and sympathetic benevolence? Has he gone about doing good, relieving the distressed, and weeping with those who weep? Like Christ, has he been holy, harmless and undefiled-when he has been reviled and suffered, has he abstained from reviling and threatening? Has he been a benefactor to those who hated him, blessed those who cursed him, and prayed for those who despitefully used and persecuted him? Or has he not been criminally defec tive in his conformity to the pure and perfect example of Christ,

rather saying to the indigent and distressed, Be warmed and filled, than giving those things which were needful for the body? How contracted and avaricious in his views and prospects? Under injury and abuse, how impatient, irritable, passionate, and vindictive, giving Christ great reason to be ashamed of him, and havgreat reason to be ashamed of himself?

If the spiritual exercises and gracious practice of a saint be compared with the holy precepts, the pure and undefiled religion of the Gospel, will the comparison be more acceptable and pleasing? Has he put off the old man with his corrupt and deceit, ful lusts? Have all his old things passed away? Has he purged out the old leaven of malice and wickedness, and laid aside all guile and hypocrisies, and envies and evil speakings, all bitterness wrath and strife, and become a new man, an Israelite indeed, blameless and harmless, a Son of God without rebuke, directed and governed by the wisdom which is from above, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy? he reduced all his appetites and passions to the pure and perfect regimen of the Gospel? Does he keep his heart with all diligence, suppressing irregular desires, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ? Are his views sublime and his affections set on things above? Is his conversation in heaven and he looking up in a confident persuasion that his redemption draws nigh, and in a joyful expectation, that he shall

Has

omitted, the verse will read as follows: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for them who persecute you.

V. 47. for 1. s. the publicans read the heathens, or the gentiles. The common reading can be defended by some arguments of the less specious character.

V. 48. your heavenly Father. n. e. your Father which is in heaven. The authority for the first of these clauses is nearly or quite equal to that of the common reading, as Griesbach supposes, though he chooses to retain the latter.

The only various readings among the foregoing, which can be supposed to affect the sense, are those in the 27, 44, and 47th The clause omitted in the first of these verses, is doubt less understood, it having been used in a similar connexion,

verses.

v. 21.

The omissions in verse 44th have the effect of making the passage less full and particular, though they do not diminish the extent of the command. The precise words here omitted are retained in Luke vi, 27, 28. Griesbach doubtless supposed them to have been inserted in Matthew from Luke. It is plain, that the omission, or retention, of these words in Matthew, can have no effect on any religious doctrine or duty.

The alteration in verse 47th can be justly estimated by every person, and needs no comment.

Proposed emendations of our Ver

sion.

Ver. 21. Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, (or to the ancients,) is, beyond all

reasonable question, the true translation.

In this and the succeeding verse, instead of the words in danger of, Dr. Campbell has preferred obnoxious to; and very properly. The original word conveys the idea of a just exposure to the evils threatened, and not of danger only.

V. 29. If thy right eye offend thee &c. The probability is, that this verse and the next are pretty correctly understood, though the word offend is far from being a good translation. Campbell gives this reading: If thy right eye insnare thee, &c. But the French translation is better, which is equivalent to what follows: If thy right eye causeth The thee to fall into sin &c. words into sin are so printed as to signify, that, though necessarily understood, they have nothing which answers to them in the original.

V. 32. The word rendered fornication here means incontinence, or unchastity, generally.

V. 39. Instead of resist not evil, the meaning probably is, resist not the evil man.

Doctrines.

We are taught in this interesting passage of Scripture; that every indulgence of unlawful anger, and every insulting contemptuous word, are violations of the sixth commandment, and justly expose him, who is guilty, to present and future punishment, v. 21, 22; that in order to offer acceptable worship to God, the worshipper must be just, kind and placable towards men; v. 23, 24; that he must, therefore, seek to be reconciled to

any man who has a complaint against him, especially before engaging in the public solemn worship of God; that it is the duty of every man to embrace the first opportunity of coming to an agreement with any adverse party, who has a just claim upon him; otherwise rigid justice may be speedily exacted from him; v, 25, 26; that whoever looks upon a woman so as to cherish impure desire is guilty of breaking the seventh commandment; v. 27, 28; that every temporal possession, however precious or necessary, is to be sacrificed, if it proves an occasion of sin; v. 29, 30; that the greatest temporal loss is of trifling moment compared with the sufferings of the damned; that no divorce is to be permitted, unless on account of the unchastity of the guilty party; v. 31, 32; that a pretended divorce, for other causes, is but the occasion of adultery; that not only perjury, but all useless swearing, is a breach of the divine law; v. 33-36; that a simple affirmation or negation, is the only lawful mode of conversation; v. 37; that, instead of indulging in retaliation and revenge, it is our duty not to resist even the unjust, to yield to unreasonable demands, and to be kind to those who request favors of us; v. 3842; that the law of God requires us to love all men, even our worst enemies, to bless them who curse us, and pray for them who persecute v. 43, 44; that the possession of these dispositions will cause us to resemble the Divine benigrity, and make us the children of God; v. 45; that loving our friends, or being kind to our brethren, is no more than men in VOL. IX.

us,

general,even of the worst classes, are able to do from selfish motives; v. 46, 47; and that it is the duty of men to be perfect, even as God is perfect; v. 48. Many implied doctrines might be enumerated; one deserves particular notice. It is this: that men would do wisely, now while salvation is offered to them, to become reconciled to God; for the time will speedily come when all, who neglect to do so, will be dealt with according to the rigid demands of justice; and will, of course be consigned to the prison of endless torment and utter despair; v. 25, 26.

Miscellaneous Remarks:

The morality contained in our Savior's exposition of the second table of the law, is pure, striking, and sublime, in the highest degree; so sublime, so transcendently glorious, as to discourage all attempts to make general comments. Let every reader ponder, admire and adore.

There is more meaning in the 23d and 24th verses, than usually appears to be derived thence. Every man is commanded to examine himself, every time he approaches the public worship of God, whether any one of his fellow men has a complaint against him; and if that should be the case, he is bound to do every thing in his power to bring about a reconciliation. We are thus taught how inseparable are the two great commandments. No worship is acceptable to God unless it proceeds from a heart filled with benevolence to men; and no real benevolence to men exists in a heart destitute of love to God.

3

How offensive to God must be a great part of the worship with which he is externally honored! How many of his pretended worshippers are full of envious, and uncharitable thoughts towards their fellow men! How many are guilty of avarice, extortion, and pride! How few are meek, forgiving, kind, placable, benevolent, easy to be intreated, merciful, compassionate, and ready to submit without murmuring to unjust treatment! While we contemplate the purity of God's law, let us learn the native vileness and impurity of our own hearts, and pray without ceasing that they may be cleansed, and made fit temples for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

diligent in improving my time for God and his people, while I am in the world; and especially so to walk here that an abundant entrance may be administered to me into the inheritance of the saints in light. May I consider myself as not made for the employments and enjoyments of this life; but as a candidate for heaven. At the great trial, if it shall appear that I have improved my two talents so as to have gained therewith two more, I shall be accounted worthy to enter into the joy of my Lord; if otherwise I wrap them up in a napkin, that heavy doom, Depart, thou cursed, will be passed upon

me.

Seeing, then, these things are so, what manner of a person ought I to be in all holy conversation and godliness. How full of piety and devotion towards God! How full of good works towards men! Will God be pleased to bless me and make me a blessing, and an instrument of much good in my day and generation. Grant that my light may so shine before men, that they may see my good works, and glorify my Father who is in heaven.

"May 29, 1720. God was pleased this day to grant me some assistance in hearing his word; so that I sat under it with fixedness and delight, especially in the afternoon under the use of examination.

"Lord's day, June 5. A sermnon on the sovereignty of the grace of God was made precious to me.

"June 11. God was pleased to meet me in secret prayer, and considerably to enlarge my heart; especially in desires of grace for my own soul, and